So I tried to take my 20yo DD to SAN on Sunday for a quick trip to the zoo. She's been wanting to go to the zoo since I went back in October. She has mental illness issues. I told her about the weather 5 times before we left. It was going to be 50's and rainy on Sunday, 65 and sunny on Monday. The plan was fly in Sunday, land around 10am. Fly home on the redeye Monday night. She knew all of this.
In the airport she started to have a panic attack about the flight. With all the recent stuff in the news

. Ironically my GBF was actually trying to trade (before he even knew we were going to take the flight) for this trip. He didn't get it. But I told her, just imagine Jake is the CA. I ended up giving her 2 Xanax. I asked her a few times if she wanted to bail on the trip. She said yes, but her reasons were fear of the plane crashing, that her brother wasn't with us, so if it did crash he'd be left w/o us, and missing her BF. She did not voice concerns for the weather.
I got her on the plane. The FA seated in front of us (we got the awesome extra foot room seats on the 321) in the jumpseat was AMAZING! She held my daughter's hand and calmed her. She was fine once we took off. Flying into SD, my DD was not impressed, LOL. Driving to our hotel (Embassy Suites near Seaport Village), she was not happy with the weather, the scenery, etc. We couldn't check into the hotel, so we walked across the street and around seaport village. She was not happy, with what the ocean "was". Prior to this, she's seen Mexico, FL and NC beaches. So SD doesn't compete, LOL. She was unhappy with the weather, etc. When we finally got into our room, she really started to spiral. She didn't want to go to the zoo saying it would be too cold. Mind you, she has gone to the zoo here when it's snowed!
Of course I got frustrated, because she complains about all the travel I do, how I never take her anywhere. But then when I do, all she does is complain. She started to have an episode. When that happens you can't talk to her, you also can't ignore her. I have to sit and listen to her scream at how bad of a mom I am, etc. I can only take so much before I snap and start to cry, etc. Then she'll dial back and apologize and hug, and then she'll spiral again.
I agreed to just cut our losses and take the red eye back Sunday.....But I kept telling her she had to get under control or we couldn't fly home. In the end, she finally did and so we spent 12 hours in SD, I spent $40 on Ubers and $50 on a hotel room (burning one of my BFF's employee nights....ugh) and putting my body through hell w/ 2 flights.
I'm not sure when or if I'll try to take her again. There is a very fine line of "perfect" weather with her. I tried to explain that most people have to plan trips months to years in advance and that you have to deal with less than perfect weather. I also told her, she can't get mad when I travel because I offered Ireland she didn't want to go (thank god now) and I've took her to SD and she just wanted to go home. I truly hate her illness. And I wanted to give her happy memories and a trip to the zoo.
That all said, I head to Vegas on Saturday w/ my BF. She's sworn up and down she won't hold this against me and that she's happy I get to do things like this. But is when she's clear headed and the illness isn't speaking for her. I had to try and push this trip in, because I start my new job in June and she is starting her new job this week

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